From Adama John, Lokoja
Chairman of Lokoja chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Malam Tanko Musa has advocated mass education as recipe to curb ignorance and Human Rights abuse in the country.
Musa who disclosed this in an interview with New Nigerian in Lokoja said that ignorance predicated on lack of education is responsible for violations of Human Rights.
The NBA chairman said that natural laws guarantee the right to life, property, movement, association, speech and others recognized internationally and embedded in the constitution as Fundamental Human Rights ought to be sacrosanct.
He described as unfortunate, the fact that over 60 percent of the nation’s population of about 160 million people are uneducated and ignorant of their rights.
Barrister Musa said law enforcement agents in their attempt to curb crime have often taken undue advantage of the people’s ignorance to trample on their rights through indiscriminate arrests, illegal detention and incarcerations and extra-judicial killings among others.
The legal practitioner however noted that observance of Human Rights in the country has improved, as the courts now unlimited jurisdiction to determine Human Right cases, adding that the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill was a plus.
Also speaking, Malam Idris Miliki, Executive Director, Centre for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), said December 10, every year was set aside as the International Human Rights Day to take stock of Human Rights issues across the globe.
Miliki said there has been improvement in the observance of Human Rights since inception of civil rule in the country, saying that the FOI Act is an institution created for the protection of Human Rights.
He noted that the enforcement of rights is however, being challenged with extra-judicial killings by security agents and religious fundamentalists as well as hindrances to freedom of worship and abuse of women rights.
The Human Rights activist said for not being gender sensitive in language and content, the constitution itself violated women’s rights in addition to other hindrances like draconian policies and reactionary cultural practices.
For improved enforcement of Human Rights, Miliki suggested more advocacy and training, creation of Human Rights institutions with offices in the 36 states, domestication of conventions and continuous education of security and law enforcement agents.